Russia, Germany condemn US sanctions

Russia said it needs time to assess the impact of new US sanctions that took effect on Monday before deciding on a response, but insisted that President Vladimir Putin will act in line with Russia's national interests.

The US announced new sanctions against Russia this month in retaliation for a nerve agent attack in Britain.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the new sanctions will not make Russia stop protecting its national interests, but will only make talks between Russia and the US more difficult. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova once again condemned sanctions on Russia.

Germany's foreign minister on Tuesday criticized US President Donald Trump for imposing sanctions against trade partners like Turkey, China, and Russia. At the annual Ambassadors' Conference in Berlin, Heiko Maas vowed to take steps to protect European firms from such unilateral sanctions. Maas urged European Union members to take joint steps against the US dominance in global finance, and proposed the establishment of independent payment channels and a European Monetary Fund.